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Building a strong family begins with strong marriages. Husbands, today’s passage is for you. I will warn you; this passage presents a tall task. And yet, this is the biblical model for every husband and father.

Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…   

God’s design for the family is for husbands to demonstrate spiritual leadership. This leadership is never to be demanding, derogatory, or overbearing. Verbal or physical abuse is sinful and destructive (If you are tempted to sin in this area, get professional Christian counseling immediately).

God’s role for the husband is servant-leadership. Here’s what servant-leadership looks like.

• Sacrificial Love. Just as Christ gave himself up for the church, a husband must be willing to live and love sacrificially. This means more than our willingness to give up our lives for our spouses. Are we willing to give up time, a recreational activity, or a positive career move for our wives?

• Sanctifying Love. Jesus gave himself up for the church “to make her holy.” Likewise, husbands must love their wives in such a way that encourages and supports their wife’s spiritual growth. At the end of the day, husbands and dads are responsible for the spiritual well-being of their families.

• Nourishing Love. Husbands are responsible for the physical, emotional, and spiritual welfare of their wives. Therefore, we must protect and provide for our family.

• Satisfying Love. A servant-leader is a student of his wife and seeks to develop and grow in emotional and physical oneness. The perversion of pornography will prove damaging to intimacy with the real person in your marriage.

Father, help us as husbands to be true servant-leaders. Give us the courage to do what we must do in order to be what you have called us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.